First mate's log:
October 7, 1968
Jan Martin is allergic, but this time not to me. Dr. Howard hasn't narrowed it down yet, since there are so many people and things on the island that weren't here last spring, but I don't see the Brady and Martin kids as much as I used to, and she's been sneezing a lot lately. (Mr. and Mrs. Brady are going to adopt each other's kids but Mr. Mason hasn't finished filing all the paperwork, and then the whole family will have to go over to Blenford to see the judge there. So Jan is officially still a Martin.)
Alice says that at first the family thought it was just a cold, although none of the other kids at school are sick right now. But it's been a few days and Jan isn't getting any better. Dr. Howard is testing different foods and smells and stuff to try to narrow it down.
Carol Brady's diary:
October 8, 1968
Jan is allergic to Mike! I know that sounds crazy, like when we thought we were all allergic to Gilligan, but it's the only explanation that makes sense. It may not be Mike himself, like it could be a cologne or something that he didn't wear or use for the four years on the island when he was around Jan, like at meals and lessons. But it started a few days ago and she only sneezes when he's around, so it's not a cold or the flu.
And, yes, it makes our family's adjustment to all living together even harder, at a time when I hoped Mike and I would soon be adopting each other's children, becoming, as he puts it, "one big Brady bunch." It's hard for Mike not to take this personally, as Gilligan did, although of course Mike is not about to go off and live alone in a cave.
October 9, 1968
Well, the Bradys and Martins thought Jan was allergic to her new stepdad, but it turns out she's allergic to Tiger, the new family pet (a dog, not a cat), which is sad but not as bad. The boys are mad at Jan because they'll have to give their dog away, although it's not her fault. Alice says Mrs. Brady has asked her to give Tiger a good bath tonight after everyone else is asleep, so if he picked up something while running around the island, maybe that will be what Jan is allergic to and they can keep the dog.
Kurt has offered to take Tiger in, since obviously he doesn't have allergies to anything on the island and he lives alone so he'd like a pet. It'd be better than if Tiger got sent to Blenford or Hawaii or maybe even the Mainland. The Brady boys could still visit him and maybe they could get another pet, one that Jan wouldn't be allergic to, like a bird. Too bad Walter hasn't come back.
October 10, 1968
What a stressful couple days, but now it's all resolved. It turned out that the times that we thought Jan was sneezing because of Mike, Tiger was actually in her room, unseen. Jan had been playing with Tiger more recently, more than she had been and more than her sisters had. And she was as upset as the boys when Mike and I agreed that we'd have to give Tiger away. (Kurt had agreed to adopt him.)
I thought perhaps Tiger had picked up something while roaming the island, so Alice agreed to wash him in the laundry room, late at night. Well, we weren't the only ones with an idea like that, since the boys, Marcia and Cindy, and Mike by himself also secretly gave Tiger baths. It didn't seem to help, since Jan sneezed when she gave Tiger a goodbye hug, hoping that her sisters had made the dog safe again.
We sent Tiger's leash, toys, and other possessions with him, but we forgot the flea powder, so Jan agreed to go take it to Kurt, promising to not get near Tiger. But the powder made her sneeze! Mr. Garst is going to order a different brand for us next time. Meanwhile, Gilligan gave Tiger a good dunking down at the lagoon, and it turns out Tiger likes to swim after all, once he gets used to water. And Jan isn't sneezing anymore.
October 30, 1968
Well, things worked out OK for the Bradys and Martins. It turned out that it was just Tiger's flea powder that Jan was allergic to. And now they and everyone are getting ready for Halloween. This year, there are enough kids and enough houses that we'll have trick-or-treating. No, I can't go. I have to stay home and hand out candy, while the Skipper does the Thursday evening run without me. I'll dress up though, as Zorro. And I'll try not to eat too much of the candy we got from Garst's General Store.
October 31, 1968
Mike and I skipped our usual date night over in Blenford in order to take the kids trick-or-treating. Alice probably could've managed it, but Mike and I agreed that we've missed it, although the last time we went (separately of course) was five years ago, when Bobby and Cindy were still babies (Cindy just a few months old), and even Greg and Marcia don't remember much about it. We obviously didn't have too many blocks to cover, but the children had a blast dressing up, seeing their friends, and of course getting candy. We skipped Dubov, since he's still a crank and mostly likes to be left alone to paint in his little hut on the other side of the island, but we did visit Gilligan down at the lagoon.
It felt good to do something so "normal," even with island touches, like Mary Ann's homemade carob candy bars with coconut sprinkles. And we have our Blenford court date scheduled for next month, so soon the nine of us, OK, ten counting Tiger, will officially be one big happy family.